This year’s military exercises, unprecedented in length and scale, are designed to prepare people for the prospect of Chinese troops storming Taiwan’s shores.

This year’s drills are ten days, twice as long as before. The timing is no accident. Tensions with Beijing remain high. While polls suggest most Taiwanese don’t believe an invasion is imminent, the government is preparing with focus and urgency.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has stepped up messaging about its round-the-clock military drills conducted in an apparent response to Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang exercise. For four consecutive days this week,

The 41st Han Kuang exercise is taking place against a backdrop of heightened tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as its own and has vowed to unify with it—by force, if necessary. This year's live-fire component is the longest ever, reflecting the seriousness with which Taipei views the threat.

Taiwan has announced plans to spend $1.5 billion from a "special budget" to enhance the capabilities of the nation's naval and air forces.

Taiwan has launched its annual military exercises to counter threats from China, including "gray zone tactics" that stop short of open warfare.

A Navy P-8A anti-submarine plane and an MQ-4C Triton drone entered the Taiwan Strait during Taipei's largest military exercise.

Han Kuang Exercise, air defence and civil response drills transform Taipei and other cities into wartime simulation.

Taiwan continued to conduct its Han Kuang military exercises on Monday, intended to guard against Chinese threats to invade.